Typical hybrid electric vehicle battery packs consist of many individual battery cells—for example, some PHEV battery packs may have in excess of 150 individual lithium-ion cells within the pack. The cells are governed by a central control module or battery energy control module. Consequently, the battery pack must have a corresponding number of sense wires running between each cell and the battery energy control module. One example of a battery management system for controlling a plurality of battery cells is shown and discussed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0052615 titled “Battery Management System.” The disclosed battery management system includes a controller configured to control a plurality of battery cells. The controller is remotely positioned with respect to each battery cell and is configured to measure voltage across the battery terminals. This configuration creates a great deal of complexity in the battery pack which can adversely affect manufacturability.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a vehicle battery cell with an integral control circuit configured to control, monitor and send communications regarding individual cell performance. It is also desirable to have a vehicle battery pack that will streamline communication lines between a battery cell and the battery energy control module.